Skateboarding is a fun and rewarding activity, but it's important to start with the basics and prioritize safety. Here's a routine designed for beginners:
1. Safety First: Gear Up!
Before you even step on a board, make sure you have the right protective gear. This is crucial for preventing injuries, especially when you're just starting out.
- Helmet: This is the most important piece of safety gear and non-negotiable.
- Knee Pads: You'll likely fall forward, so knee pads are essential to protect against scrapes and bruises.
- Elbow Pads: These will help prevent injuries if your arms hit the ground.
- Wrist Guards: These are very useful for protecting your wrists, as it's a natural instinct to break a fall with your hands.
- Appropriate Footwear: Wear skate shoes or trainers with flat soles for better balance.
- Comfortable Clothing: Opt for comfortable, loose clothing, and consider long pants and long sleeves to protect against road rash.
2. Getting Comfortable with the Board (Stationary Practice)
- Stance: Determine if you're "regular" (left foot forward) or "goofy" (right foot forward). You can do this by imagining yourself sliding on ice and seeing which foot you lead with.
- Stepping On and Off: With the board on flat ground, practice placing one foot over a set of bolts and then the second foot over the other set. Practice jumping on and off with both feet, landing with your feet over the bolts.
- Balance: Bend your knees and maintain a low, relaxed stance. This helps you adjust your balance quickly.
3. Learning to Fall Safely
Falling is an unavoidable part of skateboarding, so learning how to fall correctly can minimize injury.
- Don't Jump Off: Train yourself not to jump off your skateboard when you lose balance, as this can lead to more injuries.
- Stay Relaxed: Consciously try to relax your body when falling, as tense muscles are more prone to injury.
- Crouch Low: If you feel yourself losing balance, crouch low to the board to reduce the distance you have to fall.
- Tuck and Roll: If falling at speed, try to tuck your chin to your chest, curl into a fetal position, and roll, distributing the impact across your shoulder and back.
- Distribute Impact: Avoid putting all the impact on your hands or tailbone. Try to land on fleshy parts of your body.
- Practice Falling: You can practice falling techniques on grass.
4. Basic Movement and Control
- Pushing: Place your front foot over the front bolts and use your back foot to push off the ground to gain momentum.
- Rolling: Get comfortable simply rolling on your board, maintaining your balance with bent knees.
- Carving Turns: Lean from side to side, leading with your shoulders and applying pressure with your toes or heels in the direction you want to turn.
- Stopping: Learn different methods to stop, such as dragging your back foot.
- Tic-Tacs: This involves a series of small, back-and-forth kick turns that propel you forward and improve balance.
- Manual: Like a wheelie on a bike, a manual involves balancing on your back two wheels by popping the front of your board up. This is great for balance.
5. Beginner Tricks to Practice
Once you're comfortable with the basics of riding, you can start trying some beginner tricks. Many of these can be learned before mastering the ollie.
- Hippy Jump: Jump up, letting the board roll under you, and land back on it.
- Kick Turn: Place one foot on the tail, lean your weight back to lift the nose, and pivot the board.
- Body Varial: While riding, jump and turn your body 180 degrees, landing back on the board in the opposite direction.
- Nose Pick/Nose Stall: Roll up to a curb or obstacle and put your weight on your front foot to lift the back wheels, balancing on the nose on the obstacle.
- Ollie: This is considered one of the most important beginner tricks as it's a foundation for many others. It involves crouching, popping the tail, sliding your front foot up, and jumping so the board stays with your feet. Practice stationary ollies first.
Important Tips for Beginners:
- Practice and Dedication: Skateboarding takes time to master, so be determined and don't get discouraged if you don't get it right away.
- Set Realistic Goals: Focus on small improvements daily.
- Don't Compare Yourself to Others: Everyone progresses at their own pace.
- Ask for Advice: Don't hesitate to ask more experienced skaters for tips.
- Have Fun: Remember the main goal is to enjoy the experience.
- Warm-up: Do some light stretches or a bit of walking/running to warm up your body before skating.
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